The General

"The story of our land, its struggle and its achievement, is the very story of great human ideals, struggling to survive in the face of odds and difficulties." -- MAJ, 1948

It was a cool morning in October. The Arabian Sea blew pleasant winds into the city. But very soon, it was a political storm that shook not just the city, but the nation...
The General had got wind of his dismissal. He was not in the country, and neither was he in a mood to accept the PM's order lying down. Without losing time, he boarded a commercial airliner to return to his homeland. Developments were quick on the other side too. The city airport was ordered shut. The plane, with nowhere to go, circled atop the city skyline. The General contacted his forces on the ground. The armed forces, which were waiting for just such a communication, stormed the airport. The plane landed on its last dregs of fuel. The General emerged and gave a crisp salute. Another chapter in the story had begun. The PM packed his bags. The nation held its breath. The world watched. The Chief Executive had arrived... AbNQ

Children's Day

Heard this beautiful song early this Children's Day morning...





Movie: Boot Polish (1954)
Singer: Asha Bhosle, Mohd Rafi
Music Director: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Producer: RK Films
Director: Prakash Arora
Actors: Baby Naaz, David, Raj Kapoor, Ratan Kumar, Shailendra

Miss Hingis

Image courtesy Indiatimes

Doping charges? You decide!

Escalator Ride

Uttam Singh, sarpanch of his village, surveyed the scene around him. Valley Mall, just across the road from his son Purushottam's suburban apartment, was all shine, steel, polish and colour. Shamla, the sarpanch's wife of fifty years, was struck by the glitter all around. Uttam Singh nodded his approval, casually checking the designer kurtas on display in the shop windows.
The approach of the escalator made Shamla nervous, and she hesitated. A guard came forward to assist. Uttam Singh waved him away. He then made his wife observe another lady boarding the steps, and instructed her on how she should do it herself. Shamla dithered for a while, then finally stepped on and let herself be carried away. Uttam Singh surveyed the lobby again. The crowd was milling. Shopkeepers were talking to customers. Shamla was already halfway to the first floor. Only the guard was watching him. Uttam Singh looked away from him, adjusted his spectacles, looked at his watch, then up, took a deep breath, and placed his foot on the first step. There was a brief stutter, but he recovered quickly. Sarpanch Uttam Singh's first escalator ride was smooth after that. The guard smiled to himself and moved away. AbNQ

Transaction

A torn-off bit of envelope, with an amount scribbled on it. Startled expression, not at the proposition, but at the amount. Too much. But then papers can't get through. Slightly less please. Can't afford that much. No negotiations. Want to get work done? Even after missing photo, late submission? Jab at bit of envelope with pen. Don't have that much sir (lie)! Otherwise it was ok. Not done, sonny! Fixed price. So many loopholes. Flip through papers. Another mistake found. No discount. Lower amount suggested. Ha ha! Original amount is final amount. Nothing less. Will have to bring from outside please! Do it then!! Sir, do something. What? Senior sir calling for signing. Sir, sir, please. No no, not today. Senior sir calling. Can't wait now. Too late for today. Come on Monday. With completed form and photo. And remember the amount. Ok sir, but take that much today only. Will bring it from outside right now. Too late, boy. Shouldn't have wasted time bargaining...

Brought it? Do one thing. Take these papers outside, put it in between and return. Go. AbNQ

Next Time

"We will win next time, boys!" Rajan's voice rose above the din the opponent team made. "We will show them where they belong," he spat, pointing to his feet. "We will pump in goals from left and right, front and back!" His voice rose further. "We will hit back when they try to scare us. We will tear their shirts off their backs, we will..." Clearly, the loss had not gone down well with the 12 year-old captain of the neighbourhood football team. "... and we will make sure they can't walk back home on their own legs..." The rag-tag team listened to their captain only because they were too tired to get up and make a move. The big boys in the enemy team had outrun them, shoved them around, mocked at them and broken their spirit. "We will break their bones and chase them out of this ground!" Rajan ended, shaking with anger. To emphasize his point, he threw the stone in his hand hard into the distance, where it landed on a dog busy marking his territory. With a howl of indignance, the dog charged at the football team. Panic broke out as the team ran for its life. Rajan climbed up a tree, the goalie rolled into a gutter, the defender lost most of his pants to the dog... "Next time boys," Rajan whispered from above. AbNQ

Jeans

Tattered, torn, bloody -- the jeans were in a mess. The hard denim had done its best to prevent Muneer's skin from peeling off at more places after he got knocked off his bicycle by a speeding car. But the fabric itself was threadbare at almost a dozen spots, and was red from his blood.
There was no way Muneer could let his mother know about the accident. No, she would become hysterical. His limp was imperceptible, but his messy jeans were not. He quickly changed his clothes, and went out onto the balcony. He waited till there were no passersby in the lane below, and then casually dropped the piece of cloth into a shady corner.

Ghirni, a 12 year-old ragpicker was on his rounds. He noticed the dirty but otherwise new pair of jeans in the corner. He surreptitiously looked up and down the lane, and then with one swift movement of practiced hands, rolled the cloth into a ball and stuffed it into his sack.

Muneer smiled quietly. And then his mother called, "Beta, what happened to your cycle?" AbNQ

Who am I?

Hello, yes, please stop the bus. Now we just want this couple out of the vehicle, and you can go. Yes you, mister, mind coming along with us? And do get your missus too. Here, easy does it. Down the steps, nicely. Good. Into that car, please. Okay, bus-driver, you go along. Good bye!...
Don't worry guys, we'll just take you to a nice little farmhouse. All expenses paid, promise!...
Neat motorbike, officer. Why don't you ride it down the road a little and jump off it? That'll make it look as if our man here was riding it. Yeah yeah, I know I am smart. Now get along with it... Well done! Okay my man, showtime! You mind lying down on the road as if it was you who fell off the bike? No? No problem. Hey guys, our man has stagefright! Shouldn't you all help him? Just push him on to the middle of the road, next to the bike... Perfect. Now we can fire!...
Boys, how does the thought of a bonfire on a November night sound? Nice, eh? Madam, how about accompanying us? No, we couldn't really have the bonfire without you. You're the fuel, you know?! Truth be told, I'm really sad about your hubby. But he got swayed by Foreign Hands and plotted to kill our dear CM! Pardon? Who am I? Just a loyal cop, madam... AbNQ

The Great Mall of India

I hit the malls often. I go there to enjoy myself and hang out with my friends. I like the crowd, which is cool. Climbing the elevator steps is fun, specially when it is going down. And then there are bowling alleys and pool tables, so that you don't get bored. My friends play well. But when they force me, I also play. Most malls also have cinema halls on top. You can see the best Hinglish and English pics here. Even if you don't watch movies, you can spend your time watching all the good-looking people coming and going. The food in the food courts is great. Clean pani puri, just imagine! Sometimes we shop. Mostly window-shop, everything is so expensive, no. There is a bookstore that has all the Harry Potter books. I have seen all their movies. Somebody said the director is richer than the Queen. And on some days, an actor or actress comes to open new stores. They look so different from their movies.
But the worst thing is when none of my friends can drop me home. I have to sit in those noisy autos stuffed with sweating people. Of course I don't say anything to them. Most of them don't hang out at malls. I don't know where they hang out. Their life must be so boring, na? AbNQ

The King

The swagger (click). The high backlift (click). The flamboyant footwork (click whirr click). The flashing blade (click, too late). The lazy elegance (click, click). Close up to the eyes (zoom). The hunger, the passion (click). Zoom out, back in real time. Cut to opposition. Hands in the air. Hands on the head, on the hips. Drooping shoulders, heads bowed. Close up. Despair.

He graced the greens for seventeen years at the highest level. Coming in at a time when his tribe was infallible, he continued to sparkle even when the tribe lost its invincibility. He scaled the peaks thought to be too high. He scaled them again when others dared to make the peaks their own. He tried to lead his men to success. At times he did. But his men failed him more often. He was labelled an enfant terrible, a prodigal. He shrugged his shoulders and carried on entertaining the connoiseur and the layman alike. Graceful as ever, humble in words, charming in demeanour, he left his fans wanting more. And maybe that was the best way to go. A lesson perhaps to someone half a world away, but alike in more ways than one. Adieu, King. AbNQ

Friday Dressing

Trust marketing professionals to come up with business out of nothing. Wiki claims it happened in the fifties to raise worker morale. For the sake of drama, I'd rather that it all started like this. When after a long fight to rein in the followers of the hippie culture, the corporate world finally firmed down the rules of official dressing, some bright young (assumed) lad dressed in his casual B-school things sauntered into the office of an informal clothes manufacturer, a shrewd old (again, assumed) baldie snapped his fingers and yelled in a fully dressed state, "Eureka!"
And so it is that once every week now we have the dolled-up aunty, the younger-looking uncle, sweet memories of college for the tweens, the Jeetendra-white sneakers (white leather is Out), the reassurance of denim, the absence of starch... going hand in hand of course with the discomfort of a body-hugging fit when the body isn't fit, the suppressed snigger when you recognise person Unknown as casually-dressed Next-Cubicle-Neighbour, and the unfortunate events when you dismiss your boss mistaking him for a pesky little intern.
Friday Dressing is here to stay. Thank God it's Thursday today! AbNQ

New Leaves of Spring

And the Award Goes to...

The shiny black limousine glided to a dignified halt. The attendant, overbearing nature in place, rushed forward and reached for the rear door...
Everything was in order. The red carpet was spread out lavishly. Photographers, all dressed well according to instructions, were waiting patiently behind cordons. Eager fans waved placards and professed their undying love for their stars. The afternoon itself was beginning to cool down. The sun was low. The photographers liked it this way as it would shine at a favourable angle on the stars' faces. There was a palpable buzz in the air. And the arrivals had just begun...
A dainty foot shod in alligator skin made its way down from the limo to the asphalt. Presently its partner followed. Then the rest of the starlet, all five-feet-three of her, and six more inches of heels. The crowd went crazy. Flashbulbs popped madly. The dress shone, shimmered. The train flowed along behind. The famous smile subdued everything else around. The perfume brought Paris with it. Out flew a kiss. A hundred hearts broke. Giggles, laughter, chuckles...
And then, without warning, she tripped... AbNQ

The Dog It Was That Died

A dog once started a Business. The market was big, and the profits were good. The local fox asked the dog to put his money in the fox's Bank. The dog agreed. Then, with expansion plans in mind, the dog asked the public for more money. Shares were sold. Intelligent owls put their coins into the Business. The dog, fox and owls were all happy. Enter the Big Bull.
The Big Bull showed the fox the huge money to be made in stocks. He persuaded him to lend the Bank's money to him. With this money, the Big Bull bought lots and lots of shares of the dog's Business. Its shares increased in value. The owl community was stirred. Many more flapped their wings and joined in. They also started buying. Everyone was happy. Enter the Bear.
The Bear also bought lots and lots of shares. Prices kept rising. And then, suddenly, he sold it all. New owls bought these shares eagerly. But the old owls felt uneasy and started selling too. Now the new owls got scared and wanted to back out. Everyone started selling. But noone was left to buy. The Bear made money. The Bull suffered losses, could not repay the fox and had to go to jail. The owls flew away. The fox was fired from his bank. But the dog it was that died. AbNQ

Train-Waiting

The fat one checked out the list of reserved seats on the Gorakhpur Passenger. Without his reading glasses, he slowly fingered through each of the names and checked the spelling to see whether it was his name. All this while, he squeezed the wind out of a puny boy in front of him.
The thin one, who had been picking his teeth with utmost concentration till now, spat out the masticated remains of his dinner. He eyed everyone else on the platform with a look of suspicion, but which actually was the innocent look of a naturally cross-eyed man.
Meanwhile the familiar sing-song voice crackled over the public address system and announced to anyone who cared to listen that the concerned train would be arriving an hour late.
"What was that?" the fat one asked, widening his eyes to relieve them from squinting.
"Who knows what they say?" replied the thin one, plunging the toothpick back into his mouth.
Ten minutes later, a Garibrath chugged into the station. "Is this ours?" the fat one asked again.
"Must be," the thin one replied. "It should have been here ten minutes ago. Let's move."
"But wait. Let me read the name of the train. G... R... ok. Good. Only ten minutes late. Will do..."

Building Permit

Ziyad awoke to the familiar ugly rumble of a bulldozer. It was sitting right in front of his gate...

It was a joint family of fifteen that Ziyad headed. The ancient single-floor house with three rooms was beginning to appear smaller everyday. Another floor above would make things easier. But that needed a permit. He had been to the city on many occasions to arrange for it. But it was always the same denial. Eventually, after two years, he gave up. Meanwhile, a stone's throw away from his house, a beautiful and luxurious "gilo" came up in no time. The land had not been bought, just taken. Families from outside had come and settled down.

In desperation, Ziyad had gone ahead and built two rooms above his house...

Far away in Atlanta, the CNN newsreader read out, "Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian home under construction. Authorities said that the owner had no building permit..." AbNQ

Sunrise Before Dawn

The drone of the aircraft's engine was like a lullaby. And predictably, almost all the passengers were asleep on the overnight flight. The flight was eastward bound, so that it would be flying into the sunrise...

The view from the window was surprising. It was not yet three in the night (or in the morning), and the sky was turning light. There were no clouds, and it was mesmerising to see a blue curtain getting bluer by the minute outside. But of the sea beneath, there was only darkness. It was like someone shining a torch over a wall. Above the wall's shadow, everything was bright, but what lay below remained dark. In the thrill of this spectre, little did the curious young child realise that his bright new watch displayed the time of a timezone left far behind. He wouldn't have cared had he known. It was magic. And magic is not to be understood...

So it was, that on this summer night, the sun came early. It came before dawn. AbNQ

Spotted Enigma

AbNQ

The Party

The sun went down after a sluggish preformance. The old beggar at the corner of the road pulled the ends of his ragged shawl around himself...

The lawns were done up beautifully. Flowers hung from the main gate. Tiny lightbulbs glowed prettily between the bushes. The party started slightly late. The guests trooped in in twos and threes. All of them were dressed up for the occasion. The woollens were out in full glory. Silk shawls, cashmere coats, leather jackets could be seen everywhere. Faux-fur was also spotted. The warmth and the cheer was infectious. There was laughter all around. Piping hot kebabs were served on fine china. A Kashmiri chef brewed pots of kahva. Guests lined up to fill their glasses with the pink concoction. As the cold intensified and dew began to fall, a bonfire was started. People huddled around it to warm themselves. It rarely got this cold in the city. And everyone was determined to make the most of the chilly night...

When the fog lifted the following morning, the old beggar was dead.

Spotted Enigma

Dark silhouette
Lonesome sight

Noble blood
Form sublime

Regal poise
Measured stride

Lazy elegance
Husky voice

Fearsome presence
Silent eyes

Stricken targets
Stampede wild

Hapless prey
Futile flight

Lightning speed
Fatal strike

Feline grace
Absent smile

Spotted enigma
Nature's pride

AbNQ

The Fall

The fall was slow and had a silent grace to it. The view of the world around, above and below, changed every moment. Gravity was at work as true as ever. What comes must go... A window that was a couple of feet below a moment ago got left behind above. A crow sitting on a ledge watched, then flapped away. Further down, an AC continued to drip water on to the asphalt. People working inside the cooled offices worked as honestly as their paycheques allowed them to. The fungus on the damp walls grew without help. A girl in the balcony of a neighbouring highrise played with her dolls. The dry summer air stood where it was. Life went on. The fall continued. Nobody bothered. And then, contact was made. Hard, merciless concrete broke the fall. The fall that had been slow and had a silent grace to it.
The feather lay peacefully on the road.

(That was Strike Three. If I haven't been able to prove what I set out to, I'm only too glad for it! AbNQ)

It's a Dog's Life Alright!

(As promised, here's Strike Two... AbNQ)

It had been a hard day. He had picked his targets at will, bumped into them innocuously, murmured an apology and walked away with their wallets. He rewarded himself by getting drunk. And then getting into a brawl. At home, he beat up his wife, swore at his children and went away to seek his friends in the neighbourhood... On the way, his eyes fell on a dog whimpering because of the cold. Something inside him stirred. He threw his shawl at the dog...

It had been a hard day. He had been called to office at the last moment. He'd had to cancel the trip to the amusement park. His five year-old had tears in her eyes. He had worked hard into the night with his boss. And then the phone call from headquarters. The project had been called off. All the hard work had been in vain. The child's sad face made him sick... On the way home, he spotted a dog sleeping under a shawl. He took aim, and landed a hard kick on it...

He Who Has No Scruples...

Anyone who writes well is supposed to have a blog.

So what am I doing here? Heck, I don't write well, but people make me believe I do. Well, once and for all, this is my attempt to prove them wrong. Strike One...

He who has no scruples has it all,
But he who is honest stands tall.

I mean, what could be a worse specimen of writing than this? There is an unequal number of syllables in the lines, there is a forced attempt at rhyme, an attempt at generality, and besides, no truth at all. The unscrupulous guy gets to stand tall too!

Coming up shortly is Strike Two. For survival tips, get in touch with an Iraqi child. AbNQ